Home > TAC response to allegation that we trashed SA exhibition at AIDS Conference

TAC response to allegation that we trashed SA exhibition at AIDS Conference

By moderator

Created 2006/08/23 - 12:00am

23 August, 2006 - 00:00 — moderator

Sibani Mngadi, the Minister of Health's spokesperson claimed that TAC members trashed the Department of Health stand at the International AIDS conference in Toronto. This is a gross exaggeration. We passed the exhibition's lemons and garlic cloves back and forth to mock the idiocy of the stand but these were eventually given back to the stand's officials. We also stuck posters up saying "Fire Manto". These were taken down almost immediately by the officials. No damage was done that we are aware of. Certainly nothing was intentionally damaged. This hardly constitutes trashing the stand.

TAC's efforts in Toronto highlighted the continued unethical deadly actions of the Minister of Health. Our protest was loud, angry, even bitter, but it was non-violent and did not damage property.

How many lives could have been saved if only the Minister and her apologists cared as much for people's lives as they did for the garlic and lemons that made their extravagant stand the embarrassment of the conference?